Difference between revisions of "WAM Festival"

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WAM Festival Description

WAM Festival was a series of Worship Arts and Music (WAM) Festivals held at Guelph Lake in Guelph, Ontario from 1997 to 1999.

WAM '98 was held July 3-5, 1998

From a 1998 Media Release The "Worship, Arts and Music Festival" invites you to share a weekend together! WAM is a celebration of what God is doing in Canada through people like you who gather to sing, dance, play, mime, entertain, paint, create.... all in the name of our Lord. Come and have a BLAST sharing and playing with other members of the Christian Body.

This festival has grown from the vision of :"Christians supporting Christians in their expression of faith through arts and music in order to build upon and encourage a stronger Christian Family"

We hope that WAM will be yet another place on the face of this planet that God uses to build-up the Body and draw many into the life intended for us all. Art and music are often used as the expression of the impact that Christ has made on the lives of artists, entertainers, and performers. Come and be refreshed!

We provide a venue for Canadian Artists to grow in their calling while allowing the rest of the Body and others to be personally touched by the work begun in them.

Financially, this event is designed to assist artists and musicians in their pursuit of being faithful stewards of the gifts they have been given. The organizers of this festival do not reap any financial rewards. Any profits will be used to support future festivals (we have plans into the year 2000) and various charitable organizations that have been involved with WAM.

Please Come and ENJOY !!!

May Christ lead you into the fullness of Abundant Living!

Gord Freeman and Lori Freeman
Chris McCracken and Laura McCracken

WAM Festival Mission Statement

Christians supporting Christians in their expression of faith through arts and music to build upon and encourage a stronger Christian Family.

WAM Festival Closes Down

We reflect upon the past four annual WAM festivals at the Guelph Lake Conservation Area with great satisfaction. Perhaps you have been one of those who have shared with us the way that God was given the space to meet with you at this event in fellowship with those around you. May Christ be Praised! You have contributed significantly to shaping the festival into what it has been known for.

Whether you have come to WAM as an encourager for those who have shared the music, art, dance, or drama that God has placed in their heart; or you have come to be encouraged as a performer and presenter of God's Creative Hand; perhaps you served the Body of Christ by cooking nourishing meals, providing security, site preparation or cleaning toilets...May God continue to bless you in all you do to build unity in the Body and encourage one another in Jesus Christ our strength.

Gord Freeman and Chris McCracken have spearheaded WAM from the beginning with their families and a sea of volunteers pulling together one of the most full featured Christian festivals in Ontario. We have been intent on shaping an event that would support Christians in their expression of faith through arts and music in order to build upon and encourage a stronger Christian Family. This was achieved by providing a venue for many musicians, visual and dramatic artists as well as children, mission, and business participants in an environment where we strived to make Christians of all denominations welcome. We've heard about missions, music, dance and worship. We've heard about faith, ministry, Christian business & spiritual growth. The music has been loud - and quiet; worshipful - and rowdy; soloists, duets, quartets, and more, right up to 7 member rock bands, a 12 member contemporary group and an over 20 voice mass choir.

In our efforts over the past five years we have shared much success and have been humbled by our limitations. We remained true to being an all-Canadian Christian festival in Ontario bringing over 60 acts / participants from B.C. and Nfld (with 95% coming from all over Ontario). We provided a quality family event for all those who attended and 'performed'. We kept a joyful heart in all of our hardship and trials. We learned again and again that we can plan whatever event programming we want, but God always has a way to take control and make things happen His way when we allow ourselves to be open to his leading. Yahoo! This humility is success.

Our limitations are most obvious financially. If we ever had 900 or 1000 people turn up we'd be in good shape. Unfortunately, when you take out the 150-200 participants, performers and volunteers, we're usually left with 300-500 paying guests. Those who are mathematically oriented will soon notice that we lose thousands of dollars each time we do this. Yet even with $35k in the red all is not lost.

Through laughter and tears, we have experienced and reflected upon WAM. Whenever we think it's time to give it up, a still small voice speaks, and continues to echo through countless individuals saying "This is good - Continue!" When we began, we started with a five year plan because we expected to have a tough beginning and didn't want to give up right away. This is year five, four festivals have come and gone.

WE INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE WITH US the hand of our living God at work in the Body of Christ nourished by the Holy Spirit. We invite your comments, ideas and reflections as we continue to seek the leading hand of our Lord and celebrate the faithfullness of our God.

The WAM Festivals were organized by Gord Freeman

Gord Freeman
R.R. #3
Rockwood, Ontario N0B 2K0

Phone:519-856-2167

e-mail